I'm Agricultural scientist (Research on genetic improvement of stonefruit peach, apricot, plum and actinidia and expert on Management of experimental fields)and Teacher of economy, ecology, and economic estimate; I've to changed to work because in my country there is not future for young people.
the bad politicians in the last 15 years have destroyed Italy.
I had not the courage of escape from my country but now Im very worry about the future of my daughter I've a Dream.......

I also left Italy. After my bachelor I went to North America to do a PhD and when I went back i found out that it was impossible to get a position in an Italian university and in some job niterviews they asked me "what is exactly a PhD? is it equivalent to a master?". So I left and found a good job and satisfaction.

It seems impossible that in other countries they hire you just because you are good and not because you know someone, if at all. Thank you Mr Berlusconi, I will hate you and your gang for ever.

Yes, as many on here have already said, there are, I'm sure, many many more Italians fleeing to find somewhere marginally more meritocratic than the official figures indicate. Italians certainly make up a sizeable portion of the postgrad population in Britain.

Italian nepotism, of course, also explains the lack of foreign 'brains' in the Italian system. My experience of trying to apply for academic scholarships or posts was that the system was absolutely impenetrable. It wasn't simply that I wouldn't be considered for the job - which might have been fair enough. It was that it was impossible to even find out if there was a job, or a scholarship - because that way, of course, there would be no other applications that would have to be considered, and the nephew or whoever with no qualifications could be quietly slipped into place.

I have done translation work for Italian universities, and the administrators (with one notable exception) have invariably been both rude and incompetent. Italy has been a beautiful, complex passion for me, but it is hard to see why anyone with even a passing interest in some sort of career would want to work there.

Italy's most famous emigree was Leonardo da Vinci. Marconi invented the radio but no one seemed to care here. A Sicilian invented sound on film, but no one in Italy would finance his invention, Meucci devised the telephone but again, Italian authorities had much more pressing inventions to tend to....

Accurate bottom line (Italy does not attract young talents), but confused analysis.

A) Italian emigrants with degrees are less than the Oecd average;
B) Of Europeans emigrants to the US with degrees, the “biggest chunks” are ALWAYS managers. The 17% Italians who work in universities is TWICE the average.
C) The article does not quote the sources of those “2004 studies”. Here’s (http://alturl.com/hvhf8) an account of a 2007 study conducted by sociologist Lorenzo Beltrame, attesting what I am saying and confuting most of what the Economist says in that specific paragraph.

I am Italian, I live in Rome. I have also lived in Norway, in the UK and in The Netherlands. I have a BA with Honors, speak 4 languages and I am now considering expatriating yet again.

Italy is a wonderful place but that simply is not enough anymore. Not for young Italians, educated and non educated alike. Work is a joke. Even if you are, as someone mentioned earlier, willing to settle for a no-responsibility job from 9 to 5. What you have to understand is that, although that is not an ambition for most, it has come to be a dream for everyone. A stable job? A decent salary? Are you kidding??? Do you know what jobs are on the market right now? Sales jobs with such ridiculous paychecks to make anyone in Europe weep, and call center jobs with even lower pay.

Just for information take a look at www.payscale.com and see the comparison of salaries among nations of the world. Then you know why we want to leave.

Because unless you are a couple and have 2 permanent jobs with a decent salary you physically cannot afford to maintain yourself.

Why do educated Italians leave our country and other nationalities come in? Probably because many nationalities are leaving behind dreadful situations and are willing to accept any type of pay (especially if "in nero" - not registered in the official books) and live in a tiny flat with 15 other people so that they can afford a better life for their families back home.

All my respect for those who are willing to sacrifice so much, but frankly that is not my story. I do not want to compromise on my childrens' future. We are so busy struggling to reach the end of the month that even though we know there is so much to change ... at the end of the day we don't have the energy left to make that change happen as a community.

As a single individual we can be responsible, drive within the limits, pay our taxes, educate our children as responsible citizens.

But for the vast majority of people (generally speaking of course, I cannot get into the detail of the nation) everything IS going well and everything IS perfect.

Consider this: according to a recent study there are approximately 35 million Italians that only take information from the news on TV once in a while. That is over half the total population. Where do you think their vote and their beliefs go?

One last thing for you to consider. I have been working since the age of 19. I am now 34 and have always paid my taxes in the percentages and ways that the Laws impose I do. Do you know what my pension expectancy is? Zero. No pension. Once I get to my retirement age the taxes I will have paid will not have been enough to grant me even the minimum pension.

Do you all understand why we all want to leave? Because there is so little hope in the future, in the Government, in our fellow citizens that it's impossible. Other than addressing the issues in our vote what can we do if we are stuck struggling to pay the bills?

Please don't think that we are spoiled just because we don't fight for our country. The decision to leave does not come easy and it is the result of much evaluation and much thought. It is a painful process that which brings awareness.

And also please use more respectful terms when talking about someone else's homeland. What if we spoke in such angry and derogatory tones of your homeland, how would that make you feel?

All other discussions, although absolutely legitimate, I believe are secondary. The school system is good overall and so are (for the time being) the universities. The health system is free and available to everyone, everywhere at any given moment. The primary issue is that most young Italians cannot access the level of decent living. Oh yes, at 34 I am still considered a kid.

Could things be better? Of course, but the same is true for any country in the world. Anything can be perfected. That doesn't mean I don't love my country. But it's a love-hate relationship. It's been made very clear that my country doesn't have room for me, so what the heck, I'll go where I'm more useful and where I'm more appreciated.

A poorly written article with statistics that confuse. Obviuosly you need some Italian "brains" to do the research and write the article more validly.

If the rate of creation of "brains" is higher that the rate of absorption by industry, institutons and government then a natural outflow will occur anyway. It says nothing on the number of "brains" left in the country or if a vacuum is created. It doesnt take fully into account reasons for mobility (why would any "brain" want to work in a country that that requires Italian versus why most Italian "brains" would find English, French or Spanish useful..lets add Japanese and Mandarin, for example). It says a lot on the acceptability of Italian education in other countries notwithstanding the scathing comments in some of these letters about Italian education. It does say something about some pioneering spirit, notwithstanding the many articles about Italian "bamboccioni" that proliferate from time to time in Anglo (and Italian, to be fair) press.

No one is trying to hide the problems mentioned in getting work in Italy. My own daughter is a graduate from a South African university and is finding the Italian way of live difficuly even after 5 years. But its a choice, and not as one-sided as is portrayed by press articles, especially ones that use statistics incompletely.

@SPAMHOG.The economy of Italy is founded on 4,4 million small and medium companies,hard working day and often night and Sundays,when it's necessary.You must be writing about some Italy existing on planet Mars,or you must be a martian yourself.

@TOKYO ANDY.If Columbus needed to emigrate to have success,and this happened in the year 1492,this is a good reason not to worry about our emigration of brains.This means that this problem is 500 years old,and we still survive better than someone else.Even if you and your friends can't mention a couple of italian names,hope that you emigrants earned enough to buy a Ferrari and dress Armani.

@TOKYO ANDY. I see that my posts make you nervous,rather than funny.If they make you funny,ride bene chi ride ultimo.If Italy is scarcely known in the world,this happens because the worldspread ignorance.It's not my fault if many people in Canada and Usa can't say if Rome is in Greece or Italy.Quoting this kind of people you judge yourself,not Italy.
The use of cassa integrazione is not forbidden by the Eu.Go to study,TOKIO ANDY.You are one more case that we are not jeopardized by the emigration of "brains" like yours.

I understand your frustration however to say: "I am going to waive my Italian citizenship" is typical of Italian immigrants, I have been living in UK for 23 years now, I appreciate most of the system of this county but I would never dream to change my Latin origin although there is much to criticise about our country.

I understand your frustration however to say: "I am going waive my Italian citizenship" is typical of Italian immigrants, I have been living in UK for 23 years now, I appreciate most of the system but I would never dream to change my Latin origin although there is much to criticise about our country.

@TokyoAndy:
>5th economy
I am not sure what's Italy's ranking position, but I know for sure that Italy is part of the G7 and last year it has surpassed the UK (official data).
I seriously doubt that makes it the 5th economy of the world, since G7 is not about the whole word, but it is certainly a position many other would happily swap with theirs.

>Marchionne
What is making him italian is the fact thet he is leading a company built on italian money.
FIAT has been actively supported by the state in the last 80 years in a measure you really don't imagine. That company is BASED on money coming from the italian government.
I do not want to argue whether this is good or bad (I personally think it is bad), but this is surely a reason to say his shirt smells of pizza

Interesting topic indeed.
While the recent government initiative is laudable, I doubt much will change. One just needs to read the news in Italy, with students (?) violently opposing reforms that would benefit placement and improve the country's shameful graduate system. Great place for a holiday though.

If Italy is the 5th economy in the world..
But even if it is, then my argument is even stronger: from the 5th economy in the world I expect plenty of opportunities, plenty of innovation.. then why would I want to go somewhere else? You think it’s easy? You think Italian expat have it easy? We did leave our families behind, our friends, the places we grew up.. we speak a language is not our own, I eat sushi instead of pasta.
Marchionne moved to Canada when he was 14, had all his education there and worked outside Italy most of his life.. what makes him ‘Italian? DNA? I wonder if he can even speak Italian.. most of the Italo-canadians I met when I was living there couldn’t say much more than ciao and pasta.
Just as much as what makes Italian products ‘the best in the world’? really? Except that ogni scarrafone e’ bello a mamma sua? (and be my guest to translate that)

Same for all the tech discussion we having: you are loosing me, what’s your point really?
I heard all my life ‘Italy is the best’, ‘this Italian thing is world leader’ etc etc.. and you know what? I believed it! Then I moved abroad.. and I found out that that is absolutely NOT the case! People don’t care about Italy and can rarely name 3 Italian products.. (even I had to google pendolino! while I already new the TGV, Siemens trains, bombardier and the shinkansen.. so much for a world class product –and mind you I GOOGLED it.. I did not use Virgilio or some other ITALIAN search engines). Italy is quoted abroad as often as Canada is quoted in Italy –except ,of course, when Berlusconi come up with one of his world-class quotes.. those, unfortunately, do make the headlines abroad.
And that you mention ‘illigal’ subsidies to a company in the same sentence with Fiat… that was saved by the Italian gov’t hundreds of times with cassanintegrazione et plus in the ‘80s…

@Luci:
- I did “recommend” people in the US, and it was quite clear that I was going to be held responsible for their performance. Not so in Italy: pulling strings there is strictly a perk, not a job function.
- You met few Italians in US schools: worse than being on average somewhat undereducated (procedurally and, worse, character-wise) Italians also barely know Italian, they can’t up and go as freely as you may think. Moreover, I interviewed literally 100‘s of Italian entrepreneurs last year. Entrepreneurshipis is universally reviled, comically overtaxed, practically outlawed, little practiced and also dying out - but due to demographics and psychological depression! There even is an arbitrage opportunity in selling surviving Italian companies to younger, more maverick foreign entrepreneurs.
- People do drown to get into Italy also because Italy is smack in the midst of the Med and because about every other Italian supports illegal immigration out of being catholic or communist or mafioso or hoping pay little cash and less taxes for menial work. And once in Italy you can’t legally apply for asylum in any other so called "safe" country.

@Phil11514: Even if you grew up there, once you get to know the rest f the world, “the place you intrinsically feel is your home” won’t be Italy anymore. I heard Italians describing working life in the UK as a perennial vacation, despite much longer hours and massively fewer paid holidays.

@Melaj : “I feel like the Italian government should try harder” - Well, very Italian attitude. Almost NOBODY there ever thinks the gov’t should be doing less of anything. Always more.

@Mephistophilis :
> "Last year Silvio Berlusconi’s government made the second attempt in nine years to lure back exiled academics" What is he talking about?
Tax cuts were introduced for italians who left the country to work abroad for X (2? 5? I don't remember) and now they want to come back to the belpaese.
But the article is ultimately right: muddy (not to say the "s" word) recruiment system and lack (or absence) of R&D investments make thse abroad wanting to stay abroad.
I should know, I am one of them.

@Luci Sandor:
I am sorry but yur opinion is totally wrong, from the education system and going upwards (or downwards).
I have seen both halves of the apple and I can testify it.